Symposium on Tobacco Control and Smoke-Free Campus Practices Held

Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Durmuş Akalın, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Prof. Dr. Osman İsmail Özdel, academicians and students attended the symposium held at PAU Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Yılmaz Congress and Culture Center.

After the moment of silence and the reading of the National Anthem, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Durmuş Akalın and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Prof. Dr. Osman İsmail Özdel made their speeches.

Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Akalın: "I would like to say that the fight against all kinds of addiction is extremely important and that Turkey has come a long way in this context and that we, as Pamukkale University, are aware of this responsibility."

Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Durmuş Akalın stated the following in his speech: "I would like to thank Prof. Burhan from the organizing committee for organizing such an event on the 100th anniversary of the Republic and all our guests who have accepted this invitation. We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of our Republic and when we look at our 100-year story, we have had Turkey, which we have adopted as a homeland as a result of great struggles in the previous years. During this process, as a social scientist myself, we have experienced, seen and now we are explaining how precious human beings are, while the new Turkey was being established, while the struggle was continuing. It is necessary to protect people, it is necessary to protect people in every aspect. It is necessary to educate, to raise awareness and to be able to bring added value to this country.

Therefore, the fight against any kind of struggle, any kind of harm to human beings, any kind of addiction is as important as the struggle in the establishment of this country and these lands 100 years ago. Because we need healthy individuals and a healthy society, people who can compete with the world. In this context, I would like to say that the fight against all kinds of addiction is extremely important and that Turkey has come a long way in this context and that we, as Pamukkale University, are aware of this responsibility. We have made the necessary preparations for the smoke-free airspace in all our units and we have identified non-smoking areas by creating various areas at various campus entrances, building entrances, college entrances. Apart from this, starting in front of the Rectorate building, we are continuing our efforts as Pamukkale University to eliminate the visibility by creating protected areas outside the building where smoking can be smoked, to remove smoking from being a pleasure, tobacco use from being an element of entertainment, to eliminate its harmfulness, to eliminate the visibility by traveling that distance while smoking, while doing that job, by removing it from that area and to raise awareness of our students on this issue. 

All of our administrative units, especially our Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kutluhan, are aware of those responsible and we continue our consultations and exchanges of ideas on what we can do when we come together from time to time in order to take the necessary measures immediately and what can be done beyond this, what can be done to increase this awareness. Dear participants, I would like to thank you all again for coming here. I wish the symposium to pass in a good way, in a good way, and I wish you success."

Dean Prof. Dr. Özdel: "Increasing the fight against both tobacco and other addictive agents will be possible by increasing the level of development of the society."

Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Prof. Dr. Osman İsmail Özdel stated the following in his speech: "One of our biggest goals is to show in these halls that tobacco has no place in this country, in this society. First of all, I would like to thank Prof. Nurhan and the organizing committee for their contributions to the organization of this symposium. I agree with our Vice Rector, we have come a long way, but I think we still have a long way to go. Because in my congresses as a psychiatrist, we talk about the fact that addictive agents have shown a very serious increase both in our country and in the world.  We are looking for solutions. I hope that increasing the fight against both tobacco and other addictive agents will be possible by increasing the level of development of the society. In other words, we need to raise our motivation level a little more so that we can cope with these. Because we know that these addictive agents are actually the agents that take us back to the most primitive periods (when we had a relationship with our mother's milk). Agents that actually prevent us from developing. It is very important that we fight against them."

Following the opening speeches, Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Göksel Altınışık Ergur chaired the first session of the symposium titled "National and International Integrity in the Fight against Tobacco"; World Health Organization Turkey Director, University of Health Sciences Gülhane Department of Public Health Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Toker Ergüder, "Smoke-Free Campus Practices: Raising Awareness on Tobacco Control among University Students", Prof. Dr. Nazım Bilir, Faculty Member of Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, presented "Tobacco Control in Turkey in the 100th Year of the Republic", and Prof. Dr. Hilal Özcebe, Faculty Member of Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, presented "Successful Tobacco Control Programs and International Policy Recommendations".

In other sessions of the symposium, Green Crescent Scientific Board Member and Yeditepe University Institute of Health Sciences Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Erol Sezer made a presentation titled "Tobacco Control in the World and in Turkey", Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nurhan Meydan Acımış made a presentation titled "Scientific Milestones in the Fight against Tobacco since the Foundation of Pamukkale University", Adana Provincial Directorate of Health Specialist. Prof. Dr. Nureddin Özdener, Adana Provincial Directorate of Health, made a presentation titled "Tobacco Control Literacy: What Kind of Leadership in the 101st Anniversary of the Republic?", Uz. Dr. Olga Özdener "101st Year of the Republic: Approach to Smoking Cessation Practices" and Metin Ece from the Tobacco and Addictive Substance Control Unit of Denizli Provincial Health Directorate made a presentation titled "4207 Law and the Roads Taken by Denizli Provincial Health Directorate in the Fight Against Tobacco".